Choose Your Weapon! Part IA by Jim Higginbotham

[JimConway]

by Jim Higginbotham

Choose Your Weapon! Part I


“What handgun would you recommend for self defense?”

S&W M-66 .357 Magnum Accuracy – 1.75 “ Controllability Index – 11.6 Effectiveness Index – 127% (TKO)

That is a question I get a lot. Sometimes it is from folks who have little or no shooting experience and sometimes it is from folks who just want me to tell them that the latest weapon they have chosen wasn’t a really stupid choice.
Friends, I don’t have an ambiguous bone in my body but I cannot give you an answer without more input. Even then I don’t usually make specific make and model recommendations for I cannot know the totality of your circumstances or, without spending at least a day on the range with you, your skill level. It is truly a case of the Biblical admonition to “work out your own salvation”. All I can do is report on what you might expect to find, but you will have to go shoot the guns and do more study on your own in order to make an informed decision.
An uninformed decision could result in disaster. What works for some pundit or national champion may not be the gun that works for you! I can think of few more suspect pieces of equipment to purchase than a gun (of any type) if you don’t know how to use it. An automobile comes to mind. Without a modicum of skill, both are a catastrophe looking for a place to happen.
This is an overview of a simple screening process I have adopted over the years. There are much more involved tests one can do – indeed I do them myself – but I am assuming that if you were a full time shooter you will have developed your own. My goal here is to simplify.
What are we looking for in a defensive handgun? Simply put we are looking for one that is

1. reliable,
2. accurate enough to do the job (in our hands),
3. holds enough bullets,
4. strikes a reasonable blow,
5. can be recharged after the fight expeditiously
6. can be carried on the person daily, and
7. you can get it into action quickly from your preferred mode of carry.

There may be other features you might find important as well, but even with these simple criteria there are still enough handguns out there to confuse you to the point of indecision, which is the worst outcome because it leaves you unarmed and maybe even still playing video games.

Glock 19- 9mm Accuracy – 2.9 “ Controllability Index – 4.9 (less flyer=9.8) Effectiveness Index – 100% (TKO)

Here is the first half of what I think that screening process to help you assess the qualities of those handguns you might be considering. My basic approach is to go shoot the guns. Your answer to that may be “how the heck am I supposed to do that??” but not to worry. Lots of indoor shooting ranges have rental guns, and the nice thing about them is that the gun has generally already been broken in from heavy use. Also, if you have friends who shoot they will most likely be happy to take you shooting with their guns as well, especially if you buy the ammo.
The downside of this approach is that you will be limited to a few types of guns, shutting off many potential candidates for your consideration. But remember, the ranges rent Sigs, Berettas, Smiths and Glocks for a reason. They run and they break down less frequently than “el cheapo” equipment. This is something to consider when you are first starting out. And even if you elect to buy something less mainstream or something that looks like the same gun for less money, you will have a reliable baseline from which to measure you new potential acquisition.
Reliability

Obviously a defensive firearm must work to be effective. Nothing mechanical works every time. But quality handguns today work nearly every time. The fly in the soup is the operator. He/she can cause malfunctions. I recently selected 9 “dash cam” videos involving police officer shootings and discovered what even to me were shocking results. Of the 9, 45% of the police officers involved experienced a malfunction of one sort or another! Fortunately most had cover and were uninjured, but the one who did not and almost lost his life to a subject he had already shot once, center mass with no effect!
Surprisingly most of these “malfunctions” where with a firearm design that many recreational shooters and “frequent forum flyers” think is faultless when it comes to reliability.
Nothing is faultless.

Remington Rand 1911a1 1943 Accuracy – 1.4 “ Controllability Index – 19.6 Effectiveness Index – 180% (TKO)

If you think that revolvers work all the time then you have not shot enough! Some 30 years ago, an acquaintance lost his life when his brand name .357 Magnum locked up in a gunfight. It had been fired a good bit but never with his duty ammunition before that day! That can be, and was, a fatal mistake.
The only way to tell if a weapon is reliable in your hands is to shoot it! It does not matter if it works in other people’s hands or got a great review in the cover story of your favorite gun magazine. At least some of the time, shoot the ammo you plan to carry. It will do you no good to run your reliability tests with weak .38 Wadcutters if you intend to carry magnums that will jar the fillings out of your teeth!
Break In. Every gun needs and deserves a break in period, even a wheel gun. The consensus seems to be 200 rounds and I don’t disagree with that, though I have seen some guns that worked in the first 200 rounds develop a case of the ballistic hiccups later – so keep an eye out.
This is a pass/fail test. I won’t accept a gun that regularly malfunctions. Sometimes it is an ammunition or magazine issue and it can be fixed. But never trust your life into the hands of a gun that works “most of the time,” because if you follow Murphy’s Law, when you need it in a gunfight, it won’t.
Accuracy

As we discussed in our last column, many folks are a whole lot more casual about where they hit than I would prefer. I can cite you dozens of cases where shooting a subject “center mass” with a magnum round was not good enough to end the fight in a timely manner. On the other hand, I cannot cite any cases where a .22 LR to the tear duct has failed to stop (to the temple Is another matter entirely). The problem of course is hitting under pressure during the dynamics of a real street fight.
My standards for accuracy may not be what be what you are accustomed to. I feel that the physical accuracy of a gun is almost a given these days. There are so many fine pistols and revolvers on the market that will shoot into a ragged hole that you need not worry about the percentage of an inch difference between any two.

S&W M-15 2” – .38 +P Accuracy – 2.1” Controllability Index –10.2 Effectiveness Index – 101% (TKO)

The true accuracy of a handgun can only be judged by firing as you would in a gunfight. If it is a Double Action Revolver, you test it in double action, standing, freestyle, without a rest, in any “stance” you prefer. If it is Double Action/Single Action (like a Beretta 92F, Sig 226, etc.), it should be fired in that order, the first pull long and the subsequent short. If it is a Glock or an XD then all trigger pulls are consistent. For now we will not limit time, but you may have to practice in order to meet my specifications with any gun, taking as much time to shoot as you need. If you can’t shoot your gun into the these specifications you are not prepared to be in a gunfight, no matter how mechanically accurate your firearm may be.
I use a 2.5 X 4” target area at 10 yards on our training target but a good practical substitute might be a 3X5 index card, placed horizontally. 5 hits out of 5 shots on the card will suffice. This is a pass or fail test. If the gun passes, or more than one gun passes, it qualifies as worthy of being the gun that defends your life. If not, not. Measuring groups is fine, 3″ or less will do. If the miss is your fault, then do it over. Successful results will be repeatable. In preliminary screening I tend to use the group size (since you may be able to change the sights later) but in the final test, only hits count.
For the record I do test guns from a bench rest. But it is only my “serious” handguns, and they eventually get tested at 100 yards. I feel that for a gun you plan to carry every day you have to start with the basics, and the basics are if you can reasonably hit your target with the gun at normal gunfight ranges. Ergonomics and how the gun fits you will have more to do with hitting your target than the mechanical accuracy of the gun.

 

[JimConway]

Choose Your Weapon! Part IB by Jim Higginbotham

Controllability

Group size (accuracy) is only 1/3 the equation of marksmanship. We need to measure how rapidly we can obtain those desirable repeat hits and how hard they hit. That last is for later. You have to test the guns and loads yourself. No one can tell you how many rounds it will take to end your gunfight, but I practice with five. This is mostly because of the research of Ed McGivern. If you don’t know the name look him up, it is worth the trip.
Ed developed what can only be termed extreme skill at shooting accurately and rapidly. His standard, which he exceeded regularly, was a “hand sized group”. If you put your hand over your heart you will find it covers the width and height of the sternum just about perfectly. Not a bad “standard” for dimensions that you should try to effectively shoot into.
For simplicity’s sake I just use 5” as a standard. If you want an easy target you can fold a sheet of copy paper in half – that makes it 8.5” X 5.5” which is just about covered by the hand with the fingers splayed (Ed kept his more or less closed). Range will be 5 yards. Why? Because that is probably about average for gunfights and it is, coincidentally, what Ed McGivern used.
It is also a good way to keep track of your improvement. Shot timers are much more prevalent today and easily obtained. A good one can be had from Pact: http://pact.com/ Another option, if you are not technologically challenged like me, is an “ap” for an iPhone which converts it to an excellent timer. I think it may be free. If not it does not cost much. A shot timer “listens” for the first shot and last shot in your string and times them perfectly. It is much more effective than trying to nail it with a stop watch and is a great investment for anyone serious about improving their shooting.
Please understand we are not talking about competition here. We are not trying to match the likes of Jarrett, Letham, et all, fantastic shots that they are. We want to know what we can do. We want to know which gun we shoot better, because our life might depend on that choice. There are so many factors that can effect that outcome of your gunfight and accuracy is only one of them. But if all the other factors go in your favor, are you willing to let your accuracy rely on you having a “lucky day?”
If you are in a gunfight, it is already NOT your lucky day!
For each gun that you wish to test your ability to shoot with, record the size of the group of 5 rounds fired as fast as you can shoot them with reasonable accuracy and record the total time it takes you to fire those 5 rounds from the first shot to the last shot with the timer (or a stopwatch if it is all you have).
Now take pen and paper – or the calculator on your iPhone – and divide the number 50 (an arbitrary “par”) by the size group, then the number of seconds, to the tenth, it took to fire it.
Example, you shot a 5” group in 1 second – which is pretty good. 50/5/1 = 10. That is your “Controllability Index”. 10 would be an excellent score. 5 would not be horrible. Compare one gun to the next, not your performance to your buddy’s performance. This is about you, and it is the guns that are competing, not you. Keep notes. Gauge your progress.
Here is another even simpler formula if that one sounds too confusing. Use the same target size paper. Record the total time and add one second penalty for every shot that is outside the group or target.
You might ask why I suggest about 5 inches and not 8 or 10 like many competitions and training standards. Because the target and you are standing still in this test and the target is not shooting back. Don’t expect to do as well on the “two way range” as you do on a casual day on the public or private shooting range – indeed a 50% deterioration would be optimistic for any of us. 1 to 1.5 seconds is good (really good), 2 seconds is probably good enough (remember we are not measuring reaction time or draw speed here just the shooting). More than 2.5 to 3 and you should really seek some training, unless, like me you are old and feeble. Remember Ed? His best time was 4/10ths of a second. In 9/20ths of a second he put 5 bullets in one hole at 5 yards!!!!!! That’s with a revolver! I’m still working on that one.
Effectiveness

You knew we would get to this. Sad to say I am not the one to cut through all the smoke and mirrors of how to measure the “power” of handguns. I have studied it for over 4 decades and the more I learn the less I know.
What I offer here is not THE answer, it is AN answer. There are others just as valid. We don’t have space here to explain fully all the nuances of how these various rating systems came about. I don’t claim that any one of them is better than any other – none of them are perfect! What is included below are comparisons based on the simplest forms of mathematical models. To be sure, we know that a .44 Magnum is more effective with a normal hit to the body than a .22. But mere fractions of an inch off the mark can change the whole picture. This is a topic for an entire article or maybe even an entire book! There is no benefit if I delve into an esoteric discussion of the effect of “hydrostatic shock”, the “WAVE theory” or shooting tons of 10% gelatin here. That is for another day … maybe… and maybe not. At the end of the day many theories about effectiveness in a gunfight are semantics, and there is plenty of information on the internet out there already if you choose to consider it valid. Opning about goat tests hasn’t gotten anyone to a definitive answer, and I don’t feel there is one when so many variables are in play in what will never be a definable environment. Every gunfight is different, period.
What I will do here is leave you to your own devices rather than try to convince you of “the one true way.” The easiest way I know is to pick a middle of the road cartridge, say the .38 Special or the 9mm auto, and compare it to what you are shooting in the test. What measure you use is up to you. I will use a standard 124 grain 9mm (Luger, Parabellum) traveling at 1104 feet per second, and you can plug that into whichever formula you decide to use. Not to endorse this particular round at all, I will use it as our 100% in the example. You can do this with whatever your “ideal” is, as your “100%.”
Most common probably is the IPSC/IDPA Power Factor. The formula is (bullet weight x velocity)/1000. For our 9mm, that works out to 137.
Be sure to include barrel length in your calculations, whether it be your 100% or your comparison cartridges. According to Ballistics by the Inch (http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/), a 125gr Corbon .357 Magnum comes out of a 6″ barrel at 1715 fps., whereas it chronographs at 1257fts. from a 3″. These are not hard numbers due to variance is cylinder gap and whatnot, but it will give you an idea of the differences in power factor that barrel length can effect with many calibers.
Ok, back to our comparison. I am going to use the example of an 90gr. Corbon .380 DPX from a 3″ barrel at 1027fps. That works out to 92.43. (90×1027/1000). We then divide that by our “100%” 9mm example and it comes out to .67, or 67% as effective as the 9mm.
Here are a few more systems you can google and I will give you what our 9mm comes out to as a comparison.

• Taylor Knock Out = bullet weight X velocity X diameter / 7000. (9mm = 7)
• Hatcher Scale – a bit too complex for this article, but viable (9mm = 28)
• Kinetic Energy* – The typical 9mm will go about 330 ft lbs.

You can even use what is referred to as “One Shot Stops” which mainly are compiled by my good and trusted friend Evan Marshall and his sidekick Ed Sanow. OSS numbers are not silly or wrong, as some imply. But they are not the definitive guide to what ends a gunfight. Evan Marshall’s statement on the matter is “OSS numbers are a measure, not a tactical reality. Shoot to slide lock, draw your next gun and repeat as needed!” Side lock is what happens when a semi-automatic pistol is empty. The slide locks.
Don’t confuse One Shot Stops numbers with a probability of ending a fight with one shot…there is a lot more to it than that! The .357 Magnum can be expected to stop a fight within 5 seconds with a “center mass” hit about 1 time in 3 (OSS numbers filter out multiple shot failures!). Don’t get killed for a lack of understanding Simply use the rating of the load under test divided by that of a typical 9mm or .38 load, at about 70%.
You could use the Wound Volume from the FBI lab test series, just pick the standard for the .38 or 9mm and use it as a modifier.
No endorsement or criticism is implied in the above systems or models. Choose your own system with which to measure the effectiveness. One exception; *Note – The one thing I do know is that Kinetic Energy is not a good measure of effectiveness. Entire books have been written covering that topic (amongst others).
Intermission

So far we have covered some of the more important characteristics of handguns we might consider for defensive use. Next month we will cover other important topics. I should mention that there will be no “master number” assigned by combining all of these tests or characteristics. Your lifestyle and situation may change the emphasis on what one particular feature is more important than others. Super compactness may mean a lot to you and your requirements while another may live in a “target rich environment” where effectiveness is the prime consideration and he may be more likely to have to deal with multiple assailants. Those are decisions that must be left to the individual. Just mark down your assessments in each category and then rank them by importance to you…not me.
A word about the accompanying pictorial examples; They are for illustration only, the numbers mean only something to the people who shot them – the measures may change greatly in your hands. Also bear in mind you might be having a bad day on the range. Shoot the tests often, keep an average.
OK, we have reached a good spot for a break. Next month we will return, same time same channel, and finish up with other important factors like capacity, how to keep the gun running in a fight and considerations about the size of the weapon.
Happy trails ’til then!
Jim

 

[dcmdon]

There has to be something wrong with the scoring here.

The idea that a G19 and a 2" revolver are approximate equals does make sense to me. Other than that, nice write up.

The S&W has mechanical accuracy and reliability going for it. But the glock holds 2 1/2 times as much ammo, weighs less, and has better practical accuracy for most people.

No Glock I've ever owned has ever failed me in any way using factory ammo. I have had my 34 FTE when limp wristed by one of my students.
So since reliability is the number one factor, I see how a revolver would lead any semi-auto, for non-enthusiasts.

The 1911 is an interesting twist. Its supremely shootable. Everyone I know shoots a 1911 more accurately than any other defensive handgun.
Revolvers shot single action seem to be more accurate for most, but you certainly wouldn't cock a revolver in a defensive situation.

Don

 

[Business]

how good are his groups with a gun in his face? Those are relaxed focused shots with perfect conditions. I stick to the idea of whatever you carry, shoot it the most that way when it comes time to use it its the most familiar.

 

[JimConway]

I suggest that those questioning Jim Higginbotham's credentials, spend some time checking him out. He had a long career as a police officer and as a firearms trainer. He has had to shoot for real.
His advice is sought after by some of the best shooters in this country. I am not talking about competition shooters, although he has competed frequently in the past and still supports competition

Just one more point, there are many well known trainers that have full classes. There are also a number of trainers that are virtually unknown to the general public that also do very well. These are the men that the professional train with. Jim is one of these men

Someone mentioned how reliable Glocks are. You may be interested to know that a current analysis of actual gun fights, is showing a much higher failure rate for Glocks than anyone expected or can explain.
BTW, I like, carry and shoot Glocks often

 

[M1911]

My Glock 34 is having regular light strikes with factory ammo. I'm the second owner so I don't know if the previous owner screwed it up.

I'm not saying this to bash Glocks - just to point out that most any brand of gun can have problems.

 

[JimConway]

M1911
First, do not give up on your Glock
There are two possible problems, the ammo or the Glock
First try a number of different brands of ammo, to see if the light strikes are ammo brand specific
It could be that a given ammo manufacturer issuing a harder primer

After that, get your Glock inspected by a Glock Armorer and have any non Glock parts replaced

If none of the above solves the problem, send me the gun and I will have it properly disposed of

 

[M1911]

Nope, it isn't ammo. It does it with multiple manufacturers. No, I'm not giving up on it.

My point is that even before Gen 4, not all Glocks are perfect.

 

[speedy]

.

 

[JimConway]

Nothing made by man is perfect.

 

[M1911]

Nothing made by man is perfect.

Yup, that is exactly my point.

 

[GunGrey]

fists and feet are better than nothing, a knife is better than that and a gun trumps both.

 

[Darkwood Arms]

Some good points made here, especially about reliability. You need to shoot your choice gun A LOT and in different conditions to really determine all it's "in's and out's."

Take it to a couple of "practical" shooting matches and see how it performs. I've seen a lot of "flawless" shooting guns not shoot flawlessly in the pressure of a match.

 

[dcmdon]

Sigtac,

I participate in a little local shoot every thursday night. None of us are exceptional, but most have competed for several years. So this week there were a couple of guys on the public side of the range who came over to watch. With the range owner's permission we let them each take a run. Now they were proficient shooting at bullseyes with no stress whatsoever. We did everything we could to make it as unintimidating as possible, from turning up the lights to insisting they start from low ready rather than a holster draw. Our goal is for them to have fun, not show them how much they have to learn.

Even still, I had completely forgoten how people can fall appart when moderate stress is introduced. In this case it was merely 10 guys watching them shoot and the stress of being "on the clock". The errors this minor stress caused were incredible. The errors ranged from gripping the gun so that the web of the hand was about 3/4 of an inch from the beavertail, and the resulting excessive muzzle flip. Terrible trigger control, and in one case, a malfunction caused by limp wristing. They were both shooting stock Sig 226 with CCI Blazer. Perhaps one of the most reliable combination of gun/ammo in creation.

It was really impressive the way they both fell apart. It was also a reminder to me that I need to stress more in my intro pistol classes that they are NOT prepared to carry when they finish an NRA Basic Pistol class.

Don

 

[Darkwood Arms]

Sigtac,

I participate in a little local shoot every thursday night. None of us are exceptional, but most have competed for several years. So this week there were a couple of guys on the public side of the range who came over to watch. With the range owner's permission we let them each take a run. Now they were proficient shooting at bullseyes with no stress whatsoever. We did everything we could to make it as unintimidating as possible, from turning up the lights to insisting they start from low ready rather than a holster draw. Our goal is for them to have fun, not show them how much they have to learn.

Even still, I had completely forgoten how people can fall appart when moderate stress is introduced. In this case it was merely 10 guys watching them shoot and the stress of being "on the clock". The errors this minor stress caused were incredible. The errors ranged from gripping the gun so that the web of the hand was about 3/4 of an inch from the beavertail, and the resulting excessive muzzle flip. Terrible trigger control, and in one case, a malfunction caused by limp wristing. They were both shooting stock Sig 226 with CCI Blazer. Perhaps one of the most reliable combination of gun/ammo in creation.

It was really impressive the way they both fell apart. It was also a reminder to me that I need to stress more in my intro pistol classes that they are NOT prepared to carry when they finish an NRA Basic Pistol class.

Don

Thanks for sharing that Don. Good points about the operator falling apart under pressure as well. I too have learned that the experience of competitive shooting is priceless. Everyone who carries a gun or plans to rely on a gun for defense should experience this.

 

[dcmdon]

I really think teaching benefits the instructor as much as the student. here's another story.

I was approached by a previous student of mine about getting some training on the AK47. She was going to be a crew member on a treasure hunting boat in the Caribbean and they kept a half dozen AKs on board for protection.

She was new to rifles so we spent the first couple of hours with an AR with a .22 kit practicing basic marksmanship skills.
We switched to the AK and continued for a bit on the same fundamentals.

First stress was to put her in front of multiple numbered/colored targets and have her put two shots into the target as I called it.
She fell apart, then adjusted and did fine.

Then I had her do it from either side of a barrier. I included the side of the barrier in the commands I gave her "Left 5"
Again, she fell apart, adjusted and excelled.

Next stress was throwing in a mag change.
Then malfunctions
Then movement with multiple targets.

In every case she went to pieces and then recovered. After some instruction and repetition, she would do well.

However, an interesting thing happens. As we progress, she falls apaart a little less each time she hits something new. Her shooting is becoming more instinctive.

At the end of the day, I was convinced that we had made some excellent progress and I had received an excellent lesson in human performance and adaptability.

My lesson: its best if you have practiced a given scenario, but if you have enough of a grounding in shooting, moving, use of cover skills, you can adapt to even new situations more quickly.

Don

 

[JimConway]

Choose Your Weapon Part IIA

Gunfight Realities When Choosing a Handgun

by Jim Higginbotham
Choose Your Weapon Part II

Last month in Part I of this series you may have been shocked to find that I didn’t instruct you to go out and buy my “pet” favorite carry pistol. I have one of course, but I have changed what I carry over the years as my preferences changed. The point was that there are a lot of factors, but the most measurable “correct” answer is to measure what you are shooting well, and weigh those choices against the standard “bigger is better” considerations when choosing a handgun for carry. No, I’m not going to tell you what to buy this month either, but we will get into some interesting details about aspects that many people just gloss over, but that are vitally important and will affect your ability to survive your gunfight.
Choices have consequences. People have died for the inability to stay in the fight until they prevailed. Just recently I had a student report that he won his second fight, immediately following his first, because of a technique we taught him for reloading in combat. An enemy fighter suddenly materialized after the first fight was over, presumably out of “nowhere.” He was able to choose the best option, and simply shot said bad guy, because his head, and his gun, were still in the fight! He did not “unload to reload”. He did not stick his muzzle into the air where it might take a lifetime to re-index or block his vision (or act as a flag to tell every bad guy in the vicinity that someone is going to be out of action for a brief period). Rather, he had kept up his guard up when his first attacker fell and, after a threat scan to insure there wasn’t another immediate threat, he started to execute a reload. When a threat did materialize without warning he was able to stop mid-stream and change gears. I could not, of course, be more pleased.
Within the same week we received a report (in the form of an excellent but sad magazine article) from a young Marine who is disabled for life because he did not know how to do this. That of course was not pleasing. Forward this article to your friends! Nobody wants to learn these lessons the hard way, whether carrying a gun as a CCW, as a Police Officer on duty or off, as a security guard, or in the sandbox so far away protecting our freedom.
Whether you went so far as to shoot at index cards with a shot timer or not last month, hopefully you have now gotten yourself thinking about what guns you shoot well. I intentionally steered clear of the factors we are going to talk about this month. Some things here you will take very seriously, others you will say “that isn’t a factor for me because… ” None of these are light issues. What balance you find will depend on your personal commitment and the threat level you feel you need to be prepared for.
Take the choices you considered last month and view them in the light of these factors:
Capacity

Except for a job in one of the world’s really hot spots fighting terrorists, you will probably run out of time before you run out of bullets, unless you are a lousy shot! If you refuse to train hard the answer is not more bullets (though more ammo is not necessarily a bad thing) but to learn to stay out of trouble. But since these days trouble can find us in our home that may not be an option.
People obsess about caliber and the latest and greatest bullet technology but gloss over the fact that if you drop that bullet just 1″ off the upper spine you have likely increased the duration of this fight by factor of times 10! You can get killed during that time. The same is true if you select the latest “whiz bang” bullet that “transfers all its energy” and you put it right where it belongs but it fails to reach the spine! Will it lead to more rapid incapacitation with a hit to only to the heart or lung? Perhaps, or even probably, but giving up the ability to instantly stop the fight to increase the rapid stop – which can still be a lifetime – seems a poor compromise. On the other hand, your attacker may simply decide to quit (psst that does happen). Don’t bet your life on it.
Capacity benchmarks vary with effectiveness. I strongly feel a 6 shot .44 or .45 wheel gun is the equal or even superior of a 15 shot 9mm in effectiveness (IF you shoot both equally well). But you must decide, not me. The latter is however easier to keep running in a long fight. Tough choice! Don’t get lulled into a false sense of security! No one can tell you how long your gunfight will last. Through years of research I have discovered that most fights are short, no more than 2 to 3 seconds, but I have not found a guarantee that they would be that short either. You should be prepared for a longer fight regardless! But If you have a gun that holds 15 rounds then you had better also plan on doing a lot of dynamic movement and use cover to help you keep from getting shot during the time it takes to use those 15 rounds effectively.

6 Rounds of Effective .45 Auto that can be reloaded rapidly or 6 Rounds of even more effective .45 Colt at a slower reload – it’s your choice!

Recently I had a law enforcement student involved in a fight that evolved around his police cruiser. Eventually the bad guy even got into his cruiser. It was one of those unusually long gunfights that took more than 20 shots from his Glock 17 before he actually hit the bad guy. And no he was not a bad shot. Every bullet was well directed they just did not reach the subject (we saw most of it on film). Neither did the bad guy’s bullets reach him. This officer’s ability to reload under pressure was definitely a factor in the ending of this fight, he says. But based on what I saw and some experience shooting cars, and the result of the subject’s actions upon finally being hit, the fight most likely would have been over during the first two shots with a .45, or even a .40. The officer traded off his 9mm for a Glock .40 the next day!
The pertinent question most often is not how many bullets your gun holds but how much damage you can do in the short time you have. It is failing to get good results at the outset that turns a short gunfight into an epic one. Caliber is always going to be a trade off with capacity. The same gun comes in three calibers and they are all the same size. One has 17 rounds of nine, one has 14 rounds of .40, and one has 10 rounds of .45acp. What you choose depends partly on what we covered last month, how you shoot and recover from shooting the gun. Capacity is just another factor.

Continuity

I suggest that you plan to carry at least one reload for your weapon regardless of its initial capacity when full. A full gun is better than a half full gun at the start of any new fight or new part of the old fight! The wise man will reload every time he sees an opportunity, in anticipation of the next engagement. I consider 2 extra magazines or speed loaders the bare minimum. It does not matter if those magazines hold 7 rounds or 20, you need at least two! Three is better (or even better a spare gun). Remember the mantra: “Reload when you can, not when you have to.” (i.e. When the gun is empty) Also remember the military axiom: “two is one and one is none!”
You may find it extreme to carry extra magazines or speed loaders, but ask yourself why do we carry guns at all? It isn’t convenient to carry a gun. But we inconvenience ourselves because we think that we may find ourselves in a situation where a gun is required. And if a gun is required, do you want to find yourself waiting for the smoke to clear and new threats to appear with three rounds left in your nine?

Celebrate Diversity! 5 Rnds .38+P 17 Rnds of 10MM 18 Rnds of 9mm 9 Rnds of .45 +P Name Your “Poison”

The rule is: never leave a place you have cleared with a partially empty weapon! Not my rule, it comes from Capt. Eric A. Sykes of “Shooting to Live” fame (as well as the famous knife he designed with his co-author William Fairbairn). His actual quote was “Never go through a door without a full magazine in your weapon.” It applies to back up guns too, everything gets topped off, but keep your head about you while doing it!
There is very little difference in the amount of time it takes to reload most common autoloaders, unless you have one of those with the European style “heel clip” magazine release in which it will take twice as long. This is also where revolvers come in last place. Not only do they take longer to reload, they have to be taken out of action to top them off, and unless your gun is empty, you will be flipping loaded rounds out into your hand to insert a full speed loader if you hope to reload without a long down time for the gun. This is a very good reason to carry two revolvers if your wheel gun is not already your backup gun.
A word here; do not measure your reload like the competition boys and girls do it. You may not be familiar with this. If you watch just about any pistol or revolver action shooting competition, at some point there will most likely be a “reload” where the shooter will drop the magazine, insert a new one (or speedloader in the case of revolvers) and keep firing. Timing is measured from one shot to the next. In a real gunfight, this would mean that you are trying to reload while being shot at, while presumably returning fire. Gunfighters, or at least those who have thought about this, don’t reload like that. They “stay in the fight”. Keep up your threat scan as you draw a magazine ( or a speed loader) and get it up to the gun which is held in the “workspace, ” not up in front of your face blocking your view of the environment. Practice this!!
In this case it does not matter much how fast you draw your spare ammo because at any time you can stop drawing it and engage a threat with what is left in the gun. That is why we don’t empty the gun if it can be helped. That spare might not be there! NOTE – IF YOU ARE IN THE OPEN AND THE THREAT IS STILL THERE THEN SHOOT DON’T RELOAD!
It does matter how fast you can draw the spare ammo or spare gun if you run out of bullets during an engagement and are standing still in the open – don’t do that!
If you reload, do it properly and intelligently, or transition to a backup gun. This is something that you can time and examine closely. Done right you will be out of the fight for .5 to 1.5 seconds. That is a time we can live with – literally! If you cannot produce your reload or backup gun in 1.5 seconds you may want to start carrying it somewhere else.
Just a note about backup guns, because many many people reading this are probably just now considering carrying one gun, let alone two, or have recently made the jump to finally carrying a gun after years of putting it off. It isn’t that I’m not sensitive to the absurdity of carrying several pounds of steel on your person every day because of a remote possibility that you may need it. I personally have seen the worst of gunfights and the best of gunfights, and I am just reporting what I have seen. A spare gun in a handy place (not buried somewhere you cannot get to it quickly) can go a long way toward making reload speed irrelevant. A serious spare gun that is!
Size Matters

 

[JimConway]

Choose Your Weapon Part IIB

This is not just about the caliber of your handgun. It is rather the physical size of the weapon and how you carry it. Size and weight effects should be apparent from the tests we covered in Part I. Caliber is going to be a part of size, but within the reasonable caliber effectiveness of a firearm there are a lot of weights and sizes.
The popular excuse for carrying an inadequate weapon is represented by the line: “The .380 I carry is better for me than the .44 I leave at home on the night stand.” OK, maybe, and maybe not! I personally know (or knew) four people who used a .380 in a close range gunfight. Even though all shot really well (hitting the high chest multiple times in every case) none were successful in winning the fight. All the .380 users received grievous wounds.
This is not to say it has never worked for others. It obviously has. I just don’t know anyone who has done it. It may be well worth your effort to find a way to carry something more effective. A .380 does not always beat a rock or a sharp stick. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. You will shoot a larger gun better, as you should have discovered in Part 1 last month. If you must carry a .380, your best bet is to avoid trouble at all cost rather than rely on a gun that may be worse to pull out than to keep in your pocket.
This is not the advice you are going to find everywhere I admit. It is a very strong argument that the casual CCW permit person will just elect to leave the gun home when dressing lightly, or for comfort if he feels that he is not entering a “threat likely” environment. This is extremely common actually. But my argument is that if someone is going to leave the gun home they are going to leave the gun home. It is an internal commitment level that governs the decision to leave a gun home. It is not just confort.
And as for comfort, for the last couple of decades I have carried two full sized .45 autos (or .44 Magnums or .45 Colts), and two J-frame revolvers (one a .357 Magnum) plus flashlights(2), handcuffs, knives and spare ammo every day! I am “heavy” but not uncomfortable, and it is a very easy load to get used to.
By no means do I think everyone needs to emulate me (and to many of you I probably seem a little nutty), but the likelihood of threat is extremely high for me in much of my life, and I don’t find it uncomfortable or inconveniencing. I wear those in casual clothes or dressy clothes, Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. I have worn them to church. Churches can be dangerous places!
It may not be an option for you. Depending on where you live, what your permit says on it, or even where you work, you may not be able to carry a gun that could be discernable by a passerby, and you may not have the ability to carry something bigger than a .22 mag mini revolver even. Just don’t get killed for comfort or convenience. To quote Clint Smith: “A handgun should be comforting, not comfortable.” Repeat after me: There are NO powerful handguns! Shoot a watermelon with a hunting rifle and a .44 mag. and you will see the difference. But handguns are also not at all equal.
If you are not into belt holsters, that is OK, you can find much more effective guns than the .32s and .380s that will fit in a suit pants pocket.
Aside from that, comfort is often a function of the type of accouterments you choose. I am not discomforted at all by my choice of carry, witnessed by the fact that I do not take all those guns off until I am ready for bed. I wear them around the house. It is all “mind over matter”; if you don’t mind it doesn’t matter!

The String Method

Simply measuring the length and height of a handgun can result in a figure that might not be informative enough for a good comparison. A 1 7/8″ barreled J-Frame .38 is approximately 6″ long and 4.5″ tall. That is very close to the dimensions of a Colt .45 Officers Model. But if you stick it on your ankle or in your pocket you quickly find that the little J-frame is a much more comfortable package than the Colt. Even though it is also thicker, the revolver is “rounder”.
To be sure, there are big pockets that you can carry a sub compact high cap autoloader in, and they do have their advantages! The problem is that you can’t judge relative pocketability by simple length, height and width. Instead I chose to use the “String” measure or what I call “The Boone and Crocket” measure since it resembles the way we score trophy racks on antlered animals. Simply put you take a long string and wrap it around the outline of the gun and keep track of the end point then start with that and wrap it around the midpoint of the grip and the around the horizontal midpoint including the trigger guard. Now measure the total length of your string. Some common guns, when measured by this method compare like this:

• S&W M-36 2″- 29″
• Browning P-35 9mm- 35″
• Glock 22 .40 S&W- 39″
• Colt 1911 .45- 38.5″

Weight

Simple, look in the catalog right? WRONG! By all means, look in the catalogs if you intend to pack your “heat” without ammo, in which case it has become an impact weapon and heavier will be better. I suppose manufacturers do this because it is simpler but it can be very misleading. If you have followed along so far, you really need not only a fully loaded firearm but also a couple of extra reloads. To be sure, your choice of ammunition might make a slight difference in the total weight so by all means use your own preference here. But just for example let’s look at a few popular choices and compare them in their street ready conditions with two extra reloads:

The real weight is with all the ammunition you plan to carry.

• S&W M36 2″ .38 Spl. – 1lb. 14 ounces
• S&W M15 2″ .38 Spl.- 2lb. 10 ounces
• Glock 22 .40 S&W – 3lb. 7 ounces
• Browning P-35 9mm – 3lb. 5 ounces
• Colt 1911 .45 Auto 3lb. 13 ounces

As you can see, actually carrying ammunition can change the picture drastically. Weigh your choices and choose wisely, pardon the pun.
Reflexiveness.
This is more about what you carry than what you carry, but what you carry effects how you are able to carry. If you find yourself in a situation that requires a gunfight there is going to be that moment that there is no longer any doubt that deadly force is warranted and required.
The quicker you are able to draw your weapon and fire effectively, the less chance there will be that you will be hit before you are able to fire, or return fire. Not all situations, and I would say not even most, require a lightning draw. You may not be the primary target and you may have time to get a gun out of deep concealment. You may have cover, or be able to avoid the gunfight completely, which is something you should always consider.
Your situational awareness and your mental attitude will probably have more effect on how quickly you can respond to a threat than how you are carrying the gun, but it is still a good idea to time your ability to get into action with your weapon. It is good to remember the “Tueller Drill”, which recognizes that the average miscreant can cover 21 feet and slit your through in about 1.5 seconds. This is a good time to try to reach, but don’t forget, if you miss the spine (and again, most of us cannot guarantee every round will hit that) then it might take from 5 to 10 seconds to stop the threat even if you are shooting a 4″ .357 Magnum, and that is under the best case scenario. So tactics must play a part, and the first part of tactics is getting your gun out and ready. Be sure you can draw on the move with your mode of carry!
Real Gunfights Happen Every Day

Many of us walk around with a gun in our pocket or on our belt for the majority of our lives and never see a gunfight. It is a blessing. But real gunfights do happen, and not just to military and police. You don’t hear about them because it isn’t politically correct for the mainstream media to tell you about the crime that didn’t happen because Joe crack head got shot when he tried to rob the 7-11. The NRA reports on it, and of course we have the great work of John Lott who has effectively crunched the numbers on defensive use of firearms. But day to day we don’t live with the reality of a real gunfight in our face. Don’t get killed for lack of shooting back – effectively! It isn’t like you think! When I was attending a course at the F.B.I. Academy some time back one of my favorite sessions was by an excellent instructor, who happened to be from my home state, and who had a lot to do with the way we look at firearms training today. One thing I took away in my copious notes was his “4 Rules to a Gunfight”:

• Rule 1 – Bring a Gun!
• Rule 2 – Bring a BIG Gun!
• Rule 3 – Bigger is ALWAYS Better and More is ALWAYS more.
• Rule 4 – Pretty is not important.

I could not agree more but after a few years of reviewing shootouts I had to add Rule 1a – make sure it’s loaded.
As I said at the beginning of part one, I cannot advise you one what is best for your situation. Neither can anyone else. You must work out your own salvation!
Press on!
Jim